AFTERMATH
by SANDEFUR
Summary: After the party in "Recreation"...


AFTERMATH

By

SANDEFUR

Disclaimer: This is fanfiction just for fun. I have no claims.

1-17-04/Saturday, near midnight.

Kevin Girardi stops at the corner of 23rd and Euclid, waiting for the surprisingly heavy traffic to clear before he can turn left onto his own street. Kevin keeps trying to control the smile that is on his face, but it just won't go away. Tonight, not only did he complete his first features article, but he and Rebecca kissed! The smile grows. He isn't sure where this is leading, but he is eager to find out. There will be problems—after all, it's not like the old days when he could jump a girl's bones whenever the mood was right between them. Still, Kevin is fairly sure Rebecca will be willing to make the extra effort that it takes to accommodate his special needs should that moment ever arrive… Kevin thinks about 'that moment' and the smile grows again.

Traffic clears and Kevin makes his turn, and now that he is less than a block from his house he sees the problem. The smile disappears. Various vehicles are picking up groups of teenagers who are lingering in front of the Girardi home. Other kids are walking away from the house in a definite post-party mood. In front of the house, in his usual parking spot, an unmarked police car is about to pull away. An African-American woman is driving, and beside her is a detective who is munching on potato chips. The cop car leaves and the next vehicle pulls in. Kevin sees Joan with that guy she's been hanging out with…Adam. They share a brief hug before Adam enters the waiting pick-up and it pulls away. Finally able to park, Kevin pulls into his usual space. Joan sees him and briefly covers her face with her hands.

After completing the always difficult switch from driver's seat to his wheelchair, Kevin confronts his sister… "Joan, what the hell?"

"Kevin, I am so sorry. I know you said no parties…"

"Joan, I knew you and Luke were going to throw a party, but this…? I expected at most a dozen or so assorted nerds and sub-defectives listening to loud music and eating junk food."

"Honestly, when all of this began, that's what I expected too."

"So how did you get from that to the police being called and every neighbor we've got staring at us from their windows?"

"I wish I knew. It all just sort of snowballed and got out of hand so quickly… Are you mad?"

"A little, but I'm mostly impressed. I never thought you and Luke had it in you to be throwing a wild party. Maybe there's hope for Rocket Boy and The Sub-defective after all."

Joan giggles. "Yeah, now that it's over I guess I have to admit it was quite a party. Maybe this will raise my popularity quotient at school? Not many kids can claim they had a party broken up by the police."

"I think the cop you need to worry about is Dad. He will go ballistic when he hears about this."

"Sgt. Williams promised she wouldn't squeal on us."

"If only you can get everyone in a ten block radius to agree to that too. Okay, let's go inside and see how bad it is."

Kevin and Joan travel to the front door, and as they enter the house, Kevin lets out a long whistle… "Wow. This place looks like it was hit by a tornado. A very messy tornado."

"Is it that bad?"

"Bad? I'll be lucky if I'm not grounded with you and Luke. Look at this place! Drink cups, plates and food debris all over the place, it reeks of alcohol and are those wheel marks on our hardwood floors?"

"Uh yeah, someone was skateboarding."

"In the house? And Joan, what were you thinking serving booze?"

"I didn't plan to, but they got into the liquor cabinet and also grabbed the champagne bottle from the refrigerator that the 'rents were saving for their anniversary."

"Who are 'they'? How many people did you guys invite?"

"We really didn't invite more than a handful of people, but all of these kids showed up, most of them I didn't even know…"

A weak voice from the couch calls out, "I…estimate between 100 and 130 guests. Not all at one time as the number varied through the night."

Kevin and Joan descend to the living room level and find Luke reclining on the couch with a cold compress to his forehead. Grace hovers nearby, a look of mild concern and bemusement on her face.

Kevin asks, "What's wrong with Luke? Hey little brother, just how hard did you party?"

Luke removes the compress, tries to raise his head but groans instead. "I don't understand why I feel so…weird. I danced a little and had a snack, but other than that, I did nothing party-like."

Grace says, "Spock here isn't use to the booze. It hit him pretty hard."

Kevin grins. "Luke, you were drinking?"

Luke replaces the cold compress and groans again. "No, of course not. I only had...two or three cups of the fruit punch."

Kevin looks around and grabs a nearly empty cup. He takes a sip… "Just as I thought, it's spiked. Someone added liquor to your punch. It happens at nearly every party."

Joan takes the cup and sniffs. "I don't smell any booze."

"They probably added vodka which has no discernable smell. Okay Luke, you rest while your co-conspirator shows me the rest of the damage."

Grace says, "I'll watch over Brainiac while you guys tour the house. I have to wait here anyways until my Dad comes to pick me up."

"Thanks Grace." Joan says as she and Kevin head toward the den.

Grace moves around the couch and sits on the coffee table, watching for any signs of potential problems. She doubts Luke will be throwing up, but has a couple of empty drink cups handy just in case.

"Grace…am I really drunk?"

"I'd say buzzed. You really didn't get that much liquor into your system, but some people are hit harder by the stuff than others. I wouldn't recommend trying this again."

"I…wasn't aware I was trying 'it' this time. I will never knowingly drink again..."

Grace breathes a sigh of relief. "Good idea, Geek. Booze and you are a bad idea. How do you feel?"

"Awful. My head throbs, I feel dizzy and…I'm really tired. Why do people drink this stuff?"

Grace sighs. "I wish I knew. You just rest. You'll be asleep soon."

Luke briefly smiles. "Thanks Grace, you're a good friend."

"Yeah, right."

"I mean it. I wish...you liked me more. I think you're...really pretty…"

Luke begins to snore. Grace stares at Luke dumbfounded. He thinks she's pretty? No guy has ever said that to her before. In fact, she goes out of her way to make certain guys don't think of her like that. But this geeky guy, who really is so nice, thinks she's pretty? Why? She doesn't wear make-up or dresses or do any of that stupid flirting stuff. Okay, she did kiss him at the semi-formal, and he kind of flirted with her while they were making the rail gun, but she always assumed it was just hormones. Put any teenage boy in close proximity to a girl, even a girl like her, and you're bound to get a few sparks. Maybe he really does like her despite how she looks and behaves…

Grace reaches over and brushes a lock of Luke's hair back into place. She supposes, if she took a moment to think about it, you could say Luke was kinda good looking in a thin, pale, geek sort of way… Oh crap, did she really just think that? Grace pulls her hand back. No, she swore she would never go down this path, and certainly not with a younger guy who was her best friend's brother! She can't do this…but, she did enjoy the kiss. It had never occurred to her that weeks after the semi-formal she would still be thinking about that kiss. She only meant it as a way to shut Friedman up, but ever since then she has had that memory come fondly drifting back…

Grace gulps hard and shivers. She isn't sure why guys scare her so much, but ever since puberty hit her the thought of any guy touching her has creeped her out. At first she thought it might be because she sings in the other choir, but Grace can't bring herself to imagine doing anything physical with another girl. Still, it doesn't hurt to let the other kids at school think that way. It explains why she doesn't date or do stuff with any guy. But…late at night when she occasionally awakens from an erotic dream, it always involves her and a guy - usually a handsome TV actor, but lately, the guy in her dreams has been Luke Girardi.

There is a knock at the open front door…

"Hello…?"

"In here, Dad."

Rabbi Polonsky enters, looks at the enormous mess and tsks. "Grace, are you okay?"

"Sure Dad. I know it looks bad, but there's more mess than scandal here." Grace replies as she stands.

Rabbi Polonsky approaches the couch and Grace holds a finger to her lips as a warning. Polonsky looks at the sleeping Luke and sighs.

"Has this boy been drinking?"

"Uh, no. Luke isn't much of a partier, and he's just wore out."

"So this is Luke Girardi, the one you went to the dance with?"

"Yeah."

"The one you put on make-up and a dress for?"

Grace frowns. "We need to go. I'll say goodbye to Joan and be right back."

Grace exits and Polonsky looks down at Luke and smiles. Not the best first impression, but the Rabbi is more than willing to cut the boy some slack. Grace has never expressed any interest in a boy before, and Polonsky has been bracing himself for the moment when Grace would approach him with a need to talk about her…inclinations. He was prepared to accept this for he loves his daughter as much as life itself, but this snoring blond boy gives him hope. After all, if Grace is willing to lie for him...

Grace and Joan return to the living room and Joan blushes as she greets her visitor. "Rabbi, I'm sorry for the impression you must be getting after seeing this place so torn up, but I swear this is a one time event only."

Polonsky shrugs. "It's not my place to judge your behavior, Joan. I'll leave that to your parents. Since Grace is okay and your home seems to be realitvely intact, I suppose we can chalk this up to an act of minor youthful rebellion. But it's late and we need to be going. Grace...?"

"Right behind you, Dad."

Rabbi Polonsky exits and Grace turns to Joan just as Kevin rolls into the living room...

"How much trouble will you be in, Girardi?"

"Plenty. Kevin says there's no way to keep this from Mom and Dad."

Kevin adds, "The liquor cabinet lock is broken, half the booze is gone, the refrigerator only has a jar of mustard and some pickles left, and it will take days to thoroughly clean this mess. I shudder to think what we will find upstairs."

Joan replies, "No worries there. I kept a close eye on the stairs and managed to herd the horny masses away from our bedrooms."

"You watched the stairs? Including the backstairs?"

"I...uh, oh crap. You don't think...?"

"I think we will be changing sheets before any of us get to bed tonight."

"Eww."

Grace says, "I gotta go, but I'll come back in the morning and help you guys clean. Maybe your parents won't be so hard on you if the place is as spotless as we can make it."

"Thanks Grace, I appeciate it. Mom and Dad aren't due back until late tomorrow afternoon, so we will have hours to get this place back into shape..." (Joan pauses as she hears a snort from Luke.) "What do you think we should do with Dog-boy?"

Grace looks toward the couch and is unaware that she briefly smiles. "Let him stay where he is. Luke is down for the count tonight, but be prepared for the hangover he will have in the morning. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya."

Grace exits with a friendly wave and Joan closes the door behind her. "I'm exhausted. Can we just go up to bed and deal with this mess in the morning? We'll have all day to put the house back in order."

Kevin replies, "Sure, we're both too tired to do much more tonight... Hey, there are Dorito crumbs all over my rail chair!"

"Oh yeah, Friedman was riding it a lot during the party. Sorry."

Kevin brushes the chair clean and makes the switch from his wheelchair. "I'll chew you out in the morning as a warm-up for what you are going to get from Mom and Dad."

Joan nods as she accompanies Kevin during his ride up the stairs. "Maybe it won't be as bad as we think if we can get this place clean before Mom and Dad return?"

"Maybe..."

X X X X X

1-18-04/Sunday morning, just after dawn.

The Girardi Volvo pulls up in front of the house and Will and Helen breathe a sigh of relief at having reached their destination...

"I still don't know why we had to leave before breakfast. The sun was barely up!" Will says.

"They wanted us out of there, Will. What was the point of staying a moment longer than we had to?" Helen replies.

They exit the car and begin unloading their luggage.

"It's the principle, Helen. 'Willow Hills Spa' treated us like crap from the first moment we arrived at the place. We should demand a refund."

"Yeah, good luck with that. I doubt we will get anything from the spa but a lot of attitude after you punched one of their guests."

"I explained about that."

"And I get it. The other guy was a jerk and probably deserved it, but Will, hitting someone is just not like you. You've dealt with a lot worse than that loudmouth and never resorted to such behavior before."

Will sighs. "Okay, I'll admit I over reacted, but that was mostly due to the bad mood I was in. I never liked the idea of a spa in the first place, and that one was particularly annoying."

"True, and I understand about occasionally being in a bad mood, but Will, you've been in a bad mood a lot lately."

Will nods. "I know, and I'm sorry about that. It's just...been a stressful time lately."

"It's been stressful ever since we moved to Arcadia. I've seen you under stress Will, but it has never been this bad before. Maybe..."

"Maybe what, Helen? Therapy? Are you really suggesting that?"

"We went after Joan smashed Adam's artwork."

"As a family, for the kid's sake. Since when do I need to whine to some stranger about my 'feelings'? I've always managed fine on my own, and if you will give me time and some space...!" (Will pauses as he sees Helen's reaction.) "Sorry."

"This is what I mean, Will. You never use to lose control like that. This year you've yelled at me more than the previous twenty years combined."

Will hangs his head. "I know, and I'm sorry. Maybe you're right. Maybe the stress has been getting to me. I've made so many bad choices..."

"What do you mean?"

"Mostly I mean the move to Arcadia. I saw the pay offered, I saw the big title and I let my ego get the better of me. All of this: the move, our debts, my job failures...all my fault."

Helen puts her arms around Will. "Hey, none of that is true. The move was a mutual decision. I was just as tempted by the pay and job title as you. As for the debts, that was mostly due to Kevin's accident which was no one's fault. And what job failures? You brought down the most corrupt city government in the country. I am so proud of you for that."

Will smiles. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They share a long kiss.

"Maybe...maybe you're right. I could see the department shrink if you really think I should...?"

Helen hesitates. "And...maybe you were right. Perhaps all you need is some time to de-stress, to wind down while you get adjusted to the new routine. Tell you what, let's declare this a lazy day. The kids can fend for themselves while I attend to my man. I'll make you whatever you want for breakfast, you can watch football, we will have steaks for dinner and tonight...I will massage you to a state of peaceful bliss - amongst other bedroom related activities."

Will smiles. "I feel the tension ebbing away already."

They share another kiss before heading to the front door with their luggage.

"I hope the kids are already up." Will says as he unlocks the door.

They enter and Helen gasps...

"Oh-my-God...!"

THE END.

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